Today’s historic photo is of Indiana B.A.S.S. pro Kenneth “Dusty” Pine from a newspaper article detailing the 1987 BASSMASTER Team Championship held on Alexandria Bay, N.Y. The winning four-man team of Dusty, Larry Nixon, Stanley Mitchell, and Chet Douthit weighed a two-day total of 76-12 to claim $374,000 of the $448,000 total purse. Each guy on the winning team received $73,500 plus a fully rigged bass boat valued at $20,000
Dusty Pine is probably best known for an event held a few years later when in 1990, he won the $175,000 BASSMASTER New York Invitational, edging out Guido Hibdon for the title. It could also be argued that event put “rat fishing” on the national map. Dusty used a white Mann’s Rat with 20-pound-test line in thick scum above shallow beds of milfoil to capture the win. He was the only one fishing that way on waters better known for its smallmouth productivity.
Mann’s bought production rights for the “Rat” when it purchased a lure company from Loyd Tallent of Alabama. At the time it came in eight colors, with white, gray and chartreuse being the most popular according to Gary Dollahon of Mann’s Bait Co.
Dusty qualified for two Classics, once via the Federation route and the second time through the professional tournament trail. He fished a total of 63 events, winning just over $163,000 and hauling in 1,075 pounds of bass over his career. His final event on tour was listed as the 1993 Kentucky Invitational.
Dusty was a friend of mine who I competed against many times in local tourneys. I can’t recall the details but I do remember when he got caught in a freak storm on Patoka reservoir in Indiana. His boat went down and was pretty much bashed to pieces. He took boat manufacturer to court because it lacked level flotation.